The present invention relates to a card edge electrical connector which is to be mounted onto and electrically connected to a mother board, and to which a daughter board is electrically connected in a latchable manner.
The electrical connector shown in FIG. 9 as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2,649,988 is a card edge electrical connector 100 which is attached to a mother board, and to which a daughter board is connected in a latchable manner.
Card edge connector 100 is equipped with an insulating housing 110, which has a daughter board-accommodating recess 111 extending in the direction of length thereof and latch-accommodating recesses 112 (only one being shown) located in both ends of the daughter board-accommodating recess 111 and which is attached to a mother board 130, a plurality of electrical contacts (not shown) are disposed in row form along the direction of length of the housing 110, and a pair of metal latch members 120 are accommodated in the latch-accommodating recesses 112 of the housing 110, and they are fastened to the housing 110. Furthermore, each of the electrical contacts is electrically connected by soldering to the mother board 130, and the metal latch members 120 are also attached to the mother board 130.
Furthermore, the daughter board 140 is accommodated at a first angle inside the daughter board-accommodating recess 111 of the housing 110, and it is then rotated in the direction indicated by arrow R in FIG. 9 so that the daughter board 140 electrically engages the electrical contacts at a second angle; the second angle is maintained by the latch members 120. As a result, the daughter board 140 is electrically connected to the mother board 130 via the electrical contacts of the card edge connector 100. Moreover, when the daughter board 140 is held by the latch members 120, the daughter board 140 enters the daughter board-accommodating openings 121 of the latch members 120, and it is held in a specified position by the latch projections 122 of the latch members 120 and stop members 113 of the housing 110.
Grounding of the daughter board 140 to the mother board 130 is accomplished by electrically connecting ground path 141 on the daughter board 140 with a ground path (not shown) on the mother board 130 via the latch members 120, i.e., by causing the ground path 141 on the daughter board 140 to electrically engage the latch members 120.
However, in conventional card edge connector 100, the width of the portions of the latch members 120 electrically engaging the ground path 141 on the daughter board 140, i.e., the width of the daughter board-accommodating openings 121 of the latch members 120, is slightly larger than the thickness of the daughter board 140. As a result, in cases where a force oriented in the direction indicated by arrow R acts on the daughter board 140 as a result of some external cause, there is a danger that the ground path 141 on the daughter board 140 will be separated from the latch members 120, so that grounding of the daughter board 140 to the mother board 130 cannot be accomplished. On the other hand, if the width of the daughter board-accommodating openings 121 in the latch members 120 is made the same as the thickness of the daughter board 140 in order to prevent rotation of the daughter board 140 inside the daughter board-accommodating openings 121, there is a danger that the daughter board 140 will be unable to enter the daughter board-accommodating openings 121 as a result of dimensional error.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a card edge electrical connector which can reliably accomplish grounding of a daughter board to a mother board via latch members.
A card edge electrical connector of the present invention is equipped with an insulating housing which is to be attached to a mother board and which has a daughter board-accommodating recess that extends in a direction of length thereof, and metal latch members are disposed in the vicinity of end portions of the housing with respect to the direction of length of the housing and which hold a daughter board at a second angle when the daughter board is rotated to the second angle after being inserted into the daughter board-accommodating recess at a first angle, the latch members are electrically connected to a ground path of the mother board, and metal ground auxiliary contact members having a first resilient contact member that resiliently engages the ground path of the daughter board and a second resilient contact member that resiliently engages one of the latch members are attached to the housing.
Furthermore, it is effective if the first resilient contact member of each ground auxiliary contact member flexes in a direction that causes an increase in the resilient force applied to the daughter board when the first resilient contact member resiliently engages the ground path of the daughter board upon the rotation of the daughter board from the first angle to the second angle. The resilient contact member, which electrically engages the ground path of the daughter board, is integral with each of the latch members.
It is desirable that an overstress prevention member, which prevents excessive flexing of the resilient contact member, be integral with each of the latch members.
Furthermore, it is advisable that the latch members be equipped with two plate sections that are folded and superimposed on each other, a connection member, which is connected with the ground path of the mother board, a daughter board-holding member, which holds the daughter board at the second angle, and the overstress prevention member, be integrally formed on one of the plate sections, and the resilient contact member be integrally formed on the other of the plate sections.
Furthermore, it is effective if the overstress prevention member engages the second plate section when the daughter board held by the daughter board-holding member is forcibly driven upward, thereby preventing the first plate section from floating upward.
It is much more effective if an excessive movement-prevention member, which prevents excessive movement of the daughter board when the daughter board engages the resilient contact member, is integrally formed on the first plate section.
In addition, it is much more effective if the excessive movement-prevention member prevents excessive displacement of the first plate section to the outside by engaging the second plate section when the daughter board-holding member is displaced to the outside so that the holding of the daughter board is released.
An electrical connector for electrical connection to a mother board and for receiving a daughter board which comprises a dielectric housing having a board-accommodating recess extending therealong in which an edge of the daughter board is to be accommodated; electrical contacts mounted in the dielectric housing and having contact sections for electrical connection to the daughter board and connection sections for electrical connection to the mother board when the dielectric housing is mounted thereon; and metal latch members mounted on the dielectric housing adjacent respective ends of the board-accommodating recess and having connection sections for electrical connection to a ground path on the mother board, board-holding members for engaging a surface of the daughter board and holding the daughter board at a second angle after the edge of the daughter board has been inserted into the board-accommodating recess at a first angle and then moved to the second angle, and resilient contact sections for electrical connection to a grounding path on the daughter board.